He that throws away his estate with his hands, goes afterwards to pick it upon his feet.
Meaning: Careless squandering forces you into degrading labor to recover what you carelessly destroyed.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- He that knows himself best, esteems himself least. — Self-awareness diminishes arrogance; intimate knowledge of our flaws humbles our self-reg…
- Let every tub stand on its own bottom. — Each person must support themselves financially and practically without depending on othe…
- Proportion your expenses to what you have, not to what you expect. — Spending based on current resources prevents financial ruin when anticipated income or ga…
- Experience is a dear school, but it is the only one we are apt to learn in. — Costly mistakes teach us what lectures cannot: wisdom requires personal suffering to beco…
- Better one eye than quite blind. — Partial knowledge or capability, however limited, surpasses complete deprivation.
- One may sooner fall than rise. — Damage spreads faster than repairs; decline requires less effort than recovery.
From our untranslatable words
- Nadryv — An uncontrolled outpouring of buried feeling, often strained past anything the person tru…
- Yurodivy — One who plays the fool deliberately as a religious act, and is therefore licensed to spea…
- Khalyava — Something good got for free and without effort — and, strictly, something you were never…